Chapter 17: Life Goes On

"You cannot be serious," Ciara's voice was flat, and she looked completely unimpressed by the request that had just been made of her.

"Completely," Loki smirked back at her. "Of course, you could go and ask her yourself, if that's preferable?" he asked, sounding more innocent than he looked. Ciara snorted derisively.

"Yeah, cause Sif and I are such good friends that I could go up to her and ask about the 'hair incident'," she scoffed, leaning back against the pillar. She sat just outside of Loki's cell, wearing her cloak with the hood up, keeping her hidden from guards. "She already wants to throw me off the edge of the world. I think this would convince her to," Ciara pointed out.

"Ah, so there's a line," Loki hummed, returning to his book as if losing interest. Ciara rolled her eyes.

"Please, you had plenty of chances to kill me already," she retorted.

"And I regret not acting on them every day since," Loki answered without looking up. "Well? If you really want to know, I have my price," he told her. Ciara cursed under her breath, and stood up.

"How did you even hear about it?" she asked, irritated.

"The guards are idiots and don't understand how to lower their voices," Loki said, and Ciara had to agree. She knew that well enough by now. She'd been on Asgard for months by this point, and even though they were no longer allowed to spectate her training sessions, she was well aware how loud they could be.

"Fine, fine," Ciara glanced around, making sure no-one else was around. She vanished a ripple of blue light, and reappeared inside the cell.

"Impressive," Loki drawled as he turned the page deliberately. Ciara was tempted to stick her tongue out at him, but decided against it. Instead, she reluctantly sat down, crossing her legs in front of her. Her brow furrowed a little, and she lifted her hands.

Loki finally decided to look up as he felt the tingle of magic, and watched as Ciara's hands moved unsteadily, creating a symbol in the air that he didn't recognise. It shimmered orange, shaping into a circle as intricate designs swirled around the center. Ciara then cursed as it shook, and the image faded.

"There you go," she told Loki as she stood again, vanishing and reappearing back outside of the cell. She adjusted her hood, ensuring that it was kept up.

"Crude...but more than I expected of mortals," Loki admitted out loud.

"I wasn't looking for an evaluation. If I was, I'd have stuck around Kamar-Taj," Ciara replied. "You got what you wanted, so come on," she tried not to sound pleading, knowing he'd only like that more.

"If I must," Loki sighed, then launched into a tale of a time when Sif had been forced to cut her hair very short. Ciara listened eagerly, happy to hear a tale that had pissed off Sif beyond belief. Fandral had let slip about her very different hairstyle, but when Ciara had asked him, he had told her that Sif would mutilate him if he did.

Months had passed since Ciara had been told that she was some so-called Guardian of the Tesseract, and even now she wasn't entirely adjusted to life on Asgard. The patrolling guards still made her nervous, and just the idea that she didn't have to travel to a different city every few days to stay under SHIELD's radar threw her. And on top of that, she was learning how to control her new power to manipulate Space, allowing her to teleport.

According to Frigga, Ciara would eventually learn how to traverse between worlds, but she was still learning how to even travel a mile. It was a slow process, and it was made even slower by Ciara's stubborn refusal to accept her role. She had agreed to continue training with the Warriors Three and Thor, especially after Sif had declared she wouldn't be involved, and now the sessions were kept private, she'd started to open up a little to the group, even ending on on somewhat friendly terms with them.

Odder still, was that Loki seemed to have finally accepted that she wouldn't leave him alone. According to Ciara, he was still one of the only interesting aspects of Asgard, sharing in her dislike of Sif. And so, he finally began to indulge her questions, talking to her, but his attention came with a price - she always had to answer a question of his to get her own question answered. Or in this case, demonstrate the magic he'd heard the guards talking about.

The story was cut short, however, when they heard footsteps starting to echo down into the dungeon. Ciara stood again without a word, pulling her hood farther over her face.

"The Bifrost repairs are almost finished, are they not?" Before she could leave, Loki spoke, taking her by surprise. She turned back to him, and nodded.

"Should be done in about a month," she confirmed, and frowned. "Why?" Ciara asked, wondering just why he would bring it up. He rarely asked about anything to do with what went on outside of the dungeon.

"I wonder if the Allfather will truly be happy to let you return to Midgard while you wield the power of the Tesseract," Loki's voice was nonchalant. Ciara was quiet for a moment, before shrugging and turning away.

"Been thinking the same thing," she confessed, before vanishing down the dark corridor.


When Ciara arrived in the smaller of the training halls, she found Hogun waiting for her, not looking impressed. Then again, he usually seemed unimpressed, especially when he was teaching her.

"How is it that you are faster than anyone, or anything, on Asgard, yet you are always late?" he asked as she walked in, tying her long hair back into a ponytail. She'd left her cloak in her room, and wore a pair of black trousers and a pale pink and silver tunic. Astrid seemed to favour her in pinks rather than blues, and would purposely hide other coloured clothing.

"Poor time management skills," Ciara replied with a friendly smile. "Sorry I'm late," she apologised, which seemed to appease the man. She had quickly learned the best way to keep Hogun happy was to be polite. And she had to admit, she somewhat respected the quiet man, especially as she heard more and more of the antics that Thor had dragged them all into over the years. "So, what's on the agenda today, Hogun?" Ciara asked, getting to the topic at hand. Another thing he liked - she didn't dance around the point with him.

"Weapon training," Hogun replied, and saw her face fall. She hated weapon training. Hand to hand combat was fine, and she was improving there, but weapons slowed her down. "The more you resist, the more you'll have to do this," he pointed out, and Ciara couldn't deny his logic.

"I hope you realise I'll be complaining the whole time," she told him, and was rewarded by the corner of his mouth tugging up.

"No different to any other training session, then," Hogun told her, handing her a shortsword. It was lighter than the one that Fandral had tried to give her before, but it was still heavier than Ciara cared for.

After the fiasco of the first training session, Ciara had convinced herself that she wouldn't go back. She was already an outcast, an outsider, and almost everyone in the palace either avoided her or would stare openly, disgusted that a mortal was allowed to roam freely. And that was before she had made a scene and not only caught Fandal off guard, but beaten Sif without using a weapon.

But Thor had of course tracked her down again, to talk her into trying again. While there was no intention of sending her into battle - not that she would have agreed to do so - Thor had pointed out that the Fates themselves had labelled her the Guardian of the Space Stone. Even if she refused to accept it, there would be others who might go after her, to take the power for themselves.

"So what you're saying is those kids put a target on my head," Ciara had summed up Thor's grand explanation.

"They are not children, they are the Norns!" Thor looked aghast that she would say such a thing.

"Okay," Ciara had barely looked up from the book she was reading. She wondered if the snooty librarian who was always watching her warily would say anything. He was always hovering like he expected her to start stealing books or set them on fire or something. "So the Norns have put a target on my head," she corrected.

"I...I suppose so?" Thor was uncertain how to respond. "Ciara," he took a seat opposite her, and his attention was caught by the writing in the book. "Wait...you know how to read that?" he asked, surprised. Ciara finally looked up and leaned back in her seat, looking a little confused.

"What the heck do you think I've been doing since I got stranded here?" she asked, genuinely wondering. She watched as Thor looked a little embarrassed, his face turning red as he realised he hadn't even considered what she was doing to keep herself entertained until the Bifrost was repaired. "It's similar to a language on Earth, and Astrid helped me. She found a couple of kids books," Ciara told him, and tried not to look pleased by how impressed he was.

"I see," he nodded, before remembering the real reason he was there. "Ciara. You do not have to accept that you are who they say you are, but others may believe it and come after you. If not now, then when you return to Earth. Unless you intend to rely on the Avengers for help if that happens?" Thor tried with a raised eyebrow, and Ciara couldn't stop her laugh.

"I'd have to be very desperate to rely on you lot to help," she told him honestly, before folding her arms as she seemed thoughtful. "I suppose learning a few things might help," Ciara admitted, not willing to admit that what he'd said made sense. She was a lot safer on Asgard - very few would be crazy enough to attack there. But when she returned to Earth, there'd be no protection. And she had a suspicion that SHIELD's idea of 'protecting her' would be to lock her away in a cell, maybe take a peek into just how she was able to use the Tesseract's power for their own use.

"So you'll do it?" Thor asked, somewhat relieved. He worried that Sif was wrong, and that Ciara would rather be at risk than accept their help.

"As long as I'm not made into a spectacle for your peanut gallery to make bets on," she told him, and when she saw his brow furrow, she elaborated. "Yes. Just keep those guards away," she told him, and Thor brightened.

"I knew I could convince you," he said happily, and Ciara laughed, returning to her book.

"Please. The moment you said Sif wasn't going to help, I was already back on board," she told him.

Metal rang out again and again as Ciara blocked Hogun's blows. While she could see them coming easily enough, it was another thing entirely to move to block them with the weighty weapon in her hands. He was going easy on her, using a sword instead of his usual weapon, but he was still dominating their practice fight.

"Shit!" Ciara cursed as she tripped over her own feet and fell backwards, dropping the sword as Hogun knocked it from her hands in a well-practiced move. "Ow…" she moaned, looking at the tip of the sword pointed at her chest. "Isn't there supposed to be practice with footwork and stuff before getting into the real thing?" she complained, looking up at the man.

"I believed that someone as fleet-footed as you would not need training in footwork," Hogun replied, lowering his sword and offering his hand to pull her back up. "Swords are not for everyone. We need to find you a weapon that matches you," he considered, lifting her fallen sword and returning it to the stand. Ciara resisted a groan. They'd been looking for a weapon that 'matched her' for ages now.

As Ciara turned to admire the large weapons on the wall, all way too heavy for her to even hold, let alone use effectively, Hogun was checking other weapons, murmuring to himself. She hummed to herself as she studied the intricate designs along the metal of one of the axes, which seemed to be bigger than her.

"This may suit you best," she turned as Hogun was suddenly by her side again, and her eyebrows lifted as she saw the kukri in his hand.

"I suggested knives ages ago. You guys got all weird about it," Ciara pointed out, but took the weapon offered. She pulled it from its leather sheath, examining the well-made blade. Of course, she had very little interest in weapons, so wasn't particularly amazed by it.

"This is...a hard weapon to master," he warned, looking wary. When Ciara raised an eyebrow, Hogun couldn't help but smile faintly. "You need to be closer than most to strike. Closer than they need to be to strike you. Your strikes won't be as deep, so you'll need to aim for the vital spots," he told her as Ciara looked up from the short blade. She was quiet as she listened to his words, understanding what he meant.

"I think this is the most I've ever heard you speak," she commented, and was rewarded with another tug of the corner of his mouth.

"And I think this is the most I've seen you interested in what I have to say," he replied simply. Ciara laughed, raising her hands in defence. "You need a weapon, and of everything...this may be the only one for you," Hogun considered.

"Okay, so…" Ciara passed the kukri from one hand to the other. "Vital points. Got it," she nodded, before smiling faintly. "Guess I gotta learn where the vital points are," Ciara chuckled. Hogun held out his hand, and she passed back the short blade. He angled it in his hand, and lightly pressed it to her neck. "Obvious one," she said lightly, but Hogun could see that she was tense. Even this was a lot for her to trust.

"Here," he then moved to a point by her collarbone. Ciara remained stock still, barely managing to keep an easy smile as he gestured to each point where she should aim to strike. "You are small too," he added.

"On Earth I'm tall," Ciara grumbled, but knew that didn't mean much. On Asgard, she was barely taller than the children. And she didn't miss the faint look of amusement from her teacher.

"Do not hesitate to strike the lower spots also. The inner thigh may serve the best spot for you to strike," he told her. Ciara nodded, trying to remember all that he'd said. "Also…" she looked up as he handed back the blade for her to sheath. "Your magic-"

"No," Ciara denied instantly, shaking her head. "I told you all already. I don't use magic," she told him firmly.

"Unless it's to embarrass Sif?" Hogun asked, and he saw her smirk before she could conceal it.

"Look," Ciara took a breath. "The magic I can do takes time to focus and what I showed you is all I can do. I could barely even manage a portal when I had a sling ring. It's a trump card, my ace in the hole," she explained, and when she saw his slightly confused look, she sighed. "A last ditch effort if I know nothing else will work," Ciara elaborated, a little frustrated. This was why she hadn't told them to begin with. Anytime anyone learned that she could do magic, it was a hassle.

"Okay," Hogun said carefully, trying to appease her before she gave up. Again. She'd already lasted longer in this session than normal. She seemed to be slowly coming around to them and the training that Odin had insisted on. "For now, we'll work with this. Then perhaps we can move onto other weapons once you adjust," he told her. Ciara nodded, relaxing a little, and watched the man start to demonstrate how to use the weapon.


To Thor's delight, Ciara joined them after training for a drink.

"Hogun tells us that you were able to find a weapon that suited you," Volstagg said as Ciara took a seat. She was aware that others were openly staring at her, shocked to see the mortal out.

"It's just a knife. I told you back when we started that it was probably one of the better options," Ciara shrugged, a little awkward. She wasn't even sure why she had joined them. At the end of the training session, Fandral had shown up, and mentioned it to her, as he usually did. And for once, she'd agreed to go, too energetic to either go back to her room or the library. "You guys were the ones who wanted to try other things first," she pointed out.

"Care for a try?" Fandral pushed his flagon towards her. Curious about how strong their alcohol was, Ciara lifted the heavy drink and tipped it back. She was surprised to find that she enjoyed the strong taste of berries, and immediately she could tell that it was a lot more potent than what she'd find on Earth. "Daggers were Loki's preferred weapon," he murmured to her as she lowered the drink. With a raised eyebrow, she pushed the drink back to him. "Another!" he called to a woman serving, and within moments a drink was in front of Ciara.

"Geez, I'm not Loki. You don't have to be so concerned about one similarity," she muttered back to Fandral, who shrugged with an apologetic smile. She then took another drink.

"Uh," Thor leaned forwards, suddenly looking a little cautious. "Have care, Ciara. Asgardian mead is much stronger than what I encountered on your world," he warned her. Ciara grinned, and set her drink down.

"Good to hear, cause I couldn't get drunk on my world," she replied. It had always been the one thing she'd been curious about, but her super fast metabolism meant the alcohol was out of her system too fast for it to take effect.

"I see," Thor chuckled. "Then may it be a good night," he held up his drink, and Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg banged their drinks to his own. After a moment of hesitation, Ciara did the same, and took another large drink.

"No Sif tonight?" Ciara asked, aware they were down one person.

"She is to lead the new recruits in the beginnings of their training tomorrow morning," Volstagg answered cheerfully. His face was already flushed as he downed another flagon. "Another!" he called, throwing the empty one of his shoulder. Ciara met Thor's gaze and smirked as he looked somewhat embarrassed, both remembering his time in New Mexico.

"I thought you just finished training a group," Ciara said, keeping on topic. They were the best warriors Asgard had to offer, and with no way to travel between realms, the best they could do in that time was to help train new recruits.

"With the Bifrost's restorations almost complete, we need our armies to be ready," Thor explained as he received another drink as well. Ciara nursed her drink thoughtfully, as she thought about what Loki had said. Would Odin really let her go back to Earth when the Bifrost was repaired?

"Is it going to be that bad in the other Realms?" she asked, trying not to think about it.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," Fandral gave a light shrug of his shoulders. His eyes were on a pretty woman who was serving another table.

"We help to preserve the peace in the Nine Realms," Thor elaborated. "In our absence, dark forces may be seeking to destroy that peace," he told her, and Ciara nodded.

"Well, until then, I guess we should enjoy drinks while we can," she said, and the others cheered loudly as she allowed a small smile.


Just one chapter left until we're onto Thor 2! I will be away for a week so I'll probably post the last chapter tomorrow before I go...assuming I remember. I've left a lot to do tomorrow...

Either way, I hope you liked it!

Please review!